Agriculture in Angola

Before independence from Portugal in 1975, Angola had a flourishing tradition of family-based farming and was self-sufficient in all major food crops except wheat.

The Angolan Civil War (1975–2002) and the consequent deterioration of the rural economy and neglect of the farming sector dealt the final blow to the country's agricultural productivity.

The agriculture of Angola is currently expanding due to the end of the Angolan Civil War in 2002, and the growth of foreign investment in the sector.

In the north, cassava, coffee, and cotton were grown; in the central highlands, maize was cultivated; and in the south, where rainfall is lowest, cattle herding was prevalent.

In addition, large plantations run by primarily Portuguese commercial farmers produced palm oil, sugarcane, bananas, and sisal.

The commercial farmers dominated the marketing for these crops, however, and enjoyed substantial support from the colonial government in the form of technical assistance, irrigation facilities, and financial credit.

The Angolan Civil War (1975-2002) and the consequent deterioration of the rural economy and neglect of the farming sector dealt the final blow to the country's agricultural productivity.

In response the government set up state farms on land formerly owned by the Portuguese and established the Emprêsa Nacional de Comercialização e Distribuição de Produtos Agrícolas – Encodipa (National Company for the Marketing and Distribution of Agricultural Products) to maintain the rural trading system.

Production was stagnating because of marketing and transport difficulties; shortages of seed, fertilizer, and consumer goods for trade with peasant farmers; and the impact of the war on planting, harvesting, and yields.

During the 1975-76 fighting, the owners, managers, and skilled technicians, as well as most of the migrant work force, abandoned the coffee estates, which were then nationalized.

Suffering from a lack of skilled management and shortages of available labor in the rural areas, these coffee farms have continually posted losses.

In addition, the government, as part of its program of economic liberalization, was in the process of turning over the marketing of coffee to local, rather than national, organizations.

Despite these efforts, however, in 1985 state coffee farms still had only about 50% of the required work force because of the general drain of rural depopulation and of the unattractive wages, paid in nearly-worthless kwanzas.

Exacerbating the decline in production and exports has been the depressed world market for coffee; from February 1986 to August 1987, ICO indicator prices dropped by more than 20%.

Decreased production was the result of general problems associated with the war, including deteriorating transportation and a lack of market incentives for peasant producers.

This tremendous decrease was the result of a combination of factors, including the departure of the commercial farmers, increasing disruption from the war and the deterioration of facilities and services, especially vaccinations, crucial for livestock production.